


Tainted Crown

by BigSlytherinMess



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adult Eren Jaeger, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Character Growth, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Internalised Homophobia, Kissing Lessons, Love Triangles, M/M, No Pedophilia, Sharing a Bed, Trauma, long hair Eren jaeger
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24063724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigSlytherinMess/pseuds/BigSlytherinMess
Summary: Eren’s shaky hands showed how nervous he was. It was big for him too after all. But in what seemed like an age, his gaze homed in on the Ackerman family, and lit up. He pointed, his hand suddenly steady.“Right there.”“I—Your Highness—” Isabel flushed bright red as she stammered out her words and attempted a curtsy.The Prince blushed, shaking his head ever so slightly, “I… Uh meant the man next to you, dear.”Time froze. Levi looked back at the Prince.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	Tainted Crown

**Author's Note:**

> Hey if you ship 15 y/o Eren and Levi please do not read this fic let alone comment or support it cause I don't want that sort of support.
> 
> Eren is 18 years old, and he looks as 19 year old him does. Long hair. Gonna get a scruffy beard. No fujoshis allowed here.
> 
> Now that that's over and done with, please enjoy! Comments and kudos very appreciated <3

Levi groaned, fluttering open his eyes as he woke. He lifted his head, bumping it against some shelving which sent his head back down to his pillow with a yelp as pain spiked in his temples. The loud, obnoxious cheering, and the sound of his mother and father calling him is what had woken him, and what was continuing to tell him to get a move on and stop being so goddamn lazy. Lastly, he heard his little sister Isabel yelling profanities at him – and she could yell, even despite her short stature, but Levi supposed that ran in the family.

“I’m coming.” He mumbled, slowly stretching his legs and making his way out of bed. He didn’t want to make his family wait, who knows how long they were already calling for him before he had stirred, Levi was a deep sleeper after all. This in mind, he pulled a new shirt on. It seemed clean by the looks of it. Being so strict with hygiene meant that Levi washed all his own clothes, but that didn’t stop his family from just finding space where they could put them. He rubbed at what looked to be a smudge, before giving up and stepping out his front door.  
He was greeted with a messy looking Isabel, who gazed at him with an annoyed pout.

“I know you have small legs, but you could have been a bit faster.” She huffed.

Levi shrugged and moved a misplaced ginger lock of hair behind her ear, “Not as small as yours.”

Isabel squeaked in offence, swatting at his hands as she spluttered in indignation, “At least I’m not in my thirties! —And it’s only like two inches so… Shut up! We have to go to the city centre-“   
She began pulling at her brother’s sleeve, dragging him down the road. The siblings passed crowds of people, and as if sensing Levi’s confusion, she began to explain.

“Prince Eren is choosing his wife today! All the girls are so excited!”

“Prince Eren?” Levi mumbled, his body a dead weight as he let his sister pull him around, “Uh … Is that the kid who wasn’t allowed out of his castle until he turned what, eighteen?”

“Yes!” Isabel squealed, causing Levi to wince. “He turned eighteen yesterday, and they say it’s time for him to take a wife! The royals chose our village to choose from instead of a noblewoman – How funny is that? But I’m not gonna question it, y’know?”

Rambling all but ignored, Levi pulled back from Isabel’s grasp, causing her to stumble and look back. “Why do I have to go?” He questioned, his brows curling into a frown, “I’m a man, and a man over twice his age even if my gender wasn’t an issue.  
Isabel poked her brother in his forehead. He grabbed her wrist on impulse before releasing it, more confused than before.

“You really need to stop that frowning.” She said with a laugh, “You already have wrinkles.” 

“Wha-“

“Anyway, you’re going to support me. What if I’m chosen Levi! I need my big brother there with me!”

Levi, despite his general rash demeanour, decided not to raise any of his suspicions. His sister could have a chance surely? With a quick onceover, she was pretty, and short – Most men seemed to go for shorter women. She was kind-hearted and bright, with stubbornness that would do her well if she was to become royalty. But she wouldn’t. His family was one of the poorest in their entire town, their entire district, they would never be accepted into royalty – They have nothing to give.  
That didn’t stop Isabel from skipping the entire way to the centre of town. Levi strayed behind her, no reason to step on her hope.

* * *

  
“Finally!”

  
Levi’s Mother hurried over to the two siblings as they approached, immediately patting her daughter down and neatening up her hair.  
“What took you so long? I almost worried we would miss it!

“The snobs will still be busy crowning the Prince up.” Levi scoffed up at the large, camouflaged stage ahead of them, the view blocked by thousands of bystanders and the curtain which contained the Royals.

“Levi!” His Mother looked shocked, her dark eyes quickly glancing at her surroundings in heed of someone overhearing, “Don’t speak that way about your Prince and future brother-in-law – It’s so disrespectful!”

Isabel squeaked in excitement at her words, her hair flying into her face as her brother rolled his eyes. 

“Isabel—” 

Their Mother barely had enough time to scold her and contain her fiery hair before the entire crowd was deafened by trumpets. The curtains lifted as if by magic – Levi scoffed at the flamboyancy of it all. Seated upon the stage, in matching cushioned purple thrones that screamed wealth, sat the King and Queen. Beside the couple was a smaller, equally extravagant throne. Upon which was a boy whose head almost reached the King. Due to Levi’s stature, and the overly excited young women in front of him, he could not see much. All that was visible was the man’s brown hair, matching the colour of his Mother’s.  
Levi’s train of thought was interrupted by the trumpets stopping, and the King standing up, silencing the crowd.

“Good morning, people of Shiganshina.” 

Appropriate mumbles spread around in currents, though Levi only contributed in a gruff, exasperated voice, earning him an elbow in the ribs.

“As you may know, my oldest and only child Eren has reached the age where I wish to find him a Wife. At eighteen, he is the perfect age to settle down and continue our legacy and lineage. A strong marriage leading will mean a strong army, and a strong City. Which is why it is so important that the right person is chosen for my son.”

The king paused and stood to the side, a nod to the young boy sitting behind him sending Shiganshina into a chorus of cheering, mostly high-pitched screaming from the girls around him. The boy stood up and took his place beside his father. Now that he had straightened up, no doubt from the nerves of being in front of such a large group of screaming people for the first time, Levi could he that the Prince was actually a centimetre or two taller than his Father – Though the King’s crown didn’t particularly do him justice.  
Prince Eren was not wearing a crown, as Levi had mockingly suggested. In fact, the brown hair that he had noticed was almost shoulder length. Half tied up to keep it out of his face, but small locks falling onto his forehead no matter. The health of it was visible even from where Levi stood, the sun shining onto his scalp and giving it a warm chestnut coloured glow. Levi fought the urge to self consciously tug at his own messily cut undercut. The light pattern changed on his scalp as he turned, his prestigious waving suddenly being aimed at Levi’s family. Said man almost took a step back in surprise.  
As the light hit him at a different angle, it was hard for Levi to not notice the alarming green of the Prince’s eyes. An almost unnatural colour, but not the strong green you see in some silks that hurts your eyes. It was overwhelmingly natural, only framed by the clear laughter lines in the outside corner of his eyes. 

“Oh, isn’t he just gorgeous!” 

Levi heard his mother sigh, tearing him out of the trance he had carelessly gotten lost in.

“His eyes are almost like Isabel’s! Oh, they will have the prettiest children – Auburn hair with flecks of gold and bright green eyes…” 

“He’s alright, for a guy after all…” Levi shrugged, almost jumping out of his skin as Isabel shoved against him, a mischievous glimmer of laughter in her eyes.

“Alright?” She said, her eyebrows raising in disbelief. Levi stared back at her blankly until she sighed, defeated, “I guess you always were blind…” 

“Hey—” 

The king raised his hand to silence them, cutting Levi off and almost forcing him to look back up. Isabel decided to look at the Prince with adoring eyes, rather than the King.

The King cleared his throat before speaking. “… I don’t know why my son chose to come here, instead of choosing a princess from a neighbouring City. But I respect his wishes.” The King nodded at his son again, who in response took one forward to look down at the dirty people below him  
Despite this, he grinned as if he knew them all, and his voice did not hold the falsities that his Father’s held. You could tell he was not allowed far out of his home, far into the poverty and impurity that plagued the world as he spoke in a clear voice, the nervousness he was most likely feeling only held in the awkward stance of hands behind his back, likely fidgeting.

“Hello, dear people of Shiganshina!” 

His accent was thick with the recognisable twang of the higher up families, but it was not unpleasant – It didn’t hold the superiority that most with that accent held. The Prince sounded dignified and well educated, something that most people in Shiganshina weren’t. Levi was a lucky exception.  
His parents were self-taught, and they taught all that they could to their son, who then branched off to buy his own books when he could and borrowing them when money was short. When Isabel came along, he was already in his mid-teens, and he taught her all he could as she grew up. Filling up the time that wasn’t spent trying to sell the vegetables his Mother grew down at the market with teaching Isabel her A-B-Cs. It was hard to balance, but it was worth all the wet days down the city centre to watch her grow into an intelligent and fine woman.

Levi jumped as said fine woman clutched his arm. The cheers of people enamoured with Eren surrounded them, and noticing the Prince’s attention turning towards their vicinity, Levi swatted at his sister, “You don’t want to seem childish, right?” 

Isabel sprung back. “True enough!” She said, straightening her posture before cheering along with the crowd.

The Prince laughed quietly, his eyes lighting up. “Thank you for the very warm welcome! Now—Many of you may be wondering why I will pick someone from Shiganshina. The truth is, there is no reason. I’m simply here to pick someone who I feel has a beautiful soul, someone I will want to spend my life with!”

The crowd ate his words up, cheering again and letting out soft ‘awes’. Levi rolled his eyes as the Prince continued his speech.   
“I feel I have to make my choice soon.” He murmured, a glance at his father and the nod he received in return only prompting him. Eren looked around the group of people. Though Levi would never admit it, despite his young age, he seemed to be able to look through them, his eyes taking on an intensity. This intensity was felt throughout the entire crowd—everyone wanted to find out who would live in this world of luxury for the rest of their days.  
Eren’s shaky hands showed how nervous he was. It was big for him too after all. But in what seemed like an age, his gaze homed in on the Ackerman family, and lit up. He pointed, his hand suddenly steady.

“Right there.” 

“I—Your Highness—” Isabel flushed bright red as she stammered out her words and attempted a curtsy.

The Prince blushed, shaking his head ever so slightly, “I… Uh meant the man next to you, dear.”

Time froze. Levi looked back at the Prince who had now met his eyes. They sussed each other out, Levi with his brow furrowed, and Eren with an apprehensive but bold stare. It was the King that broke their contest by grabbing his son by the arm and pulling him off to the side for a moment.  
Few people in the crowd left— the drama and shock was too interesting for people to simply abandon. Levi felt crushed under the glances thrown his way, some jealous and pining. Some simply aggressive in nature. He silently begged for the King to refuse his son’s wish, to turn around and pick someone else with a laugh and a ‘Sike! You thought you were going to live in luxury? Get lost.’ There was absolutely no way that the King would go against his own wishes of a wife for his son.

  
“Give me your name.”

“Huh?”

Levi blinked. Oh fuck. The King was staring right at him. He flushed, clearing his throat before replying clearly and carefully, ignoring all the stares clearly directed at him.

“Levi Ackerman. Sir.”

“You are to be… Wed to my son.” The frown the King wore clearly showed his disgust at the idea, and Levi already felt distrust towards the man. His son looked a lot less disgusted, but a lot more nervous than he had before. This must have been very unplanned, for him to be as shaken up as he seemed to be.

He stepped back in and cleared his throat, though his eyes did not meet Levi’s this time. “I won’t force anyone. But if you wish to be wed…--”

“I accept your proposal.” Levi answered. He had been thinking throughout the ordeal, and he could never say no. His family would never have to spend hours trying to sell produce again, they would never go hungry. Isabel could get a proper education. Hell – He could get a proper education. Levi was used to making sacrifices, and he would continue to make them if it meant a better life for his family. “I’ll marry you.”

The King did not look happy. Eren however—

“Wonderful!” The man exclaimed, his polite smile widening, “You shall move in with us today!”

“… What about my family?”

“They will have their own headquarters, some servants, their own living situation. Everything will be taken care of.” 

“We could not have the Prince’s… Husband living separate from him of course.” The King said, rolling the words in his mouth like marbles that he couldn’t wait to spit out.

Levi let himself look back at Eren. The Prince’s husband had a ring to it. Better than his current title at least—Levi Ackerman, bastard son of a former prostitute. His ‘father’ was only biologically related to Isabel. Though that was obvious by the handsome man who so clearly resembled his sister. Bright ginger hair to boot. Luckily, Isabel hadn’t inherited his cold stare so readily used with Levi. Her voice was the opposite of his deep drawl, laced with dislike.   
Is that what it’s like when the person you call your child, isn’t actually yours by blood?

“Well?”

King Jaeger glared down at Levi, who could only answer in mumbled confusion.

“You have to come up here and stand beside my son, are you deaf?” 

“Oh.” Levi rolled his shoulders, feeling a brisk gentle hand on his shoulder, no doubt Isabel’s or his Mothers. Avoiding peoples gaze as he walked through them was difficult, especially as he was focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, but eventually he reached the stairs which led up to the stage, and found himself face to face with the Prince. He cringed as he strained his neck to look directly at him, and found the man’s eyes wide and blinking, a faint blush on his cheeks.

Typical teenager.

The people seemed a lot quieter from where he stood now. From the Prince’s staggering six foot it must be silent. God, Levi wanted to kick him down a level.  
The height had the opposite effect on said Prince, whose adams apple bobbed anxiously as he looked down at the older man with glazed over irises. 

“So…” Eren murmured, his gaze falling to the ground briefly as he took a step forward with his (aggravatingly) long legs. His bright gaze rose to Levi, and he was shocked at the authenticity in his voice as he said his name.

“Levi Ackerman. Will you do me the honour of being my Husband?” Eren said, his prominent blush getting stronger at what Levi supposed must have been a look of surprise plastered over his face. Eren’s face held confidence. Levi liked that about him. Even though this was a petrifying situation, and he had obviously just went against his fathers wishes, his face still held nobility and a fire lit in his eyes that sucked Levi in.

He found himself nodding.

“Yes.” Levi murmured, “Of course.”

Cheering commenced. The grin on the Prince’s face as he stood up to face the crowd was so priceless, you would have thought he had just gotten engaged to his childhood love.   
He had just gotten engaged to a stranger. How could he stand on the front of a stage and grin like that? Levi almost felt frustration build up in him at how lax he was about this extreme situation, but he wrist was grabbed, and he was suddenly beside the rest of the royal family, in front of the screaming City of Shiganshima.

His eyes met Isabel’s in the crowd, and he inhaled deeply before smiling at the crowd. It was all for her. It was all for his family.

**Author's Note:**

> Simp supreme here xoxo please tell me if u see any mistakes mkay thank u


End file.
